Wishful Thinking IV(Or I'm Back, Baby!)
by letitbeme
Summary: Hey, everybody, I know it's been a while but I'm back with another sweet and sappy idea for how season 4 could end!


It had been a long couple of days, but Sunday morning was here and it was all over. The gate was closed off for good, the Russians were out of the picture, Hopper was alive and back in Hawkins, as was everyone else, and the whole gang was at the hotel to meet Hopper, El and the Byers for lunch.

Even though he didn't want to show it or say anything, Mike was nervous. He knew that El and the Byers hated living in Chicago and now that Hopper was back for good, and that Owens had said he'd get decent-sized checks from the government for everyone as a thank you for, you know, saving the world multiple times, maybe this meant they'd be moving back to Hawkins. Mrs. Byers had promised them an answer today, considering they had just escaped with their lives the previous night, they didn't have time for big decisions just then. Mike knew about unpredictability though and didn't want to get his hopes up just to have them destroyed.

On the way over, he had been talking to Nancy about all of this and how every time they came to visit, it was great, but, every time Will and El left, it felt like a bad tooth, stepping on a nail and flunking a big test all rolled into one and he wasn't sure if he could take it anymore. "Try to have some hope," she said, "This weekend's been full of surprises," she said. Mike admitted she had a point and appreciated her trying to help him.

Now, everyone was packed into the small hotel room, Mike next to El, of course, waiting to hear from Hop and Joyce what the big decision was. They finally walked in, trying to hide that they were holding hands, even though everyone saw the kiss they had shared upon seeing each other again after so long, that combined with the dopey euphoric looks on their faces, yeah, they weren't fooling anybody.

Joyce was first to start talking, "So, we talked it over a lot,"

"And we mean, a lot, a lot." Hop chimed in.

"And we eventually came to a decision," Joyce said before looking at a specific few, "Will...Jon...El...what would you say if..." she trailed off coyly leaving everyone dangling, the only sound in the room being Mike mumbling "please, please, please" under his breath, "We moved back to Hawkins?"

You could have heard a pin drop, just after the sharp gasps, of course.

"Ar-are you serious, Mom? We-we're coming back?" Will stammered out.

Joyce looked up at Hopper and then back at her son with a big smile, "Yeah, what the hell, let's come home."

"YE-E-E-E-E-ES! WOO-HOO-HOO!" came the cacophonous cheers from everyone in the room, before the whole group went into hugs and excited jumping and other such things while Hop put his arm around Joyce and jokingly said, "You really had to bend their arms, didn't you?" getting Joyce to

laugh and put her arm around him and pat him on the chest with her other.

Amidst all the celebration, Mike had pulled El into a tight hug and even spun her around for effect before pulling her in for a big kiss.

"This is great, this is perfect, you're gonna be here with us, you're gonna go to school with us, we're all gonna be together!" Mike said, too excited to think properly.

El looked up with him with her big eyes that Mike loved, even more so now, filled with love and happiness, before softly saying, "and you and me are gonna be together."

"Yeah, us, together, and it would take all the forces of Earth, Heaven and Hell to pull us apart again," Mike said, his words so full of love he almost felt like he couldn't take it before El pulled him in for another kiss before feeling a tap on the back of his head. He turned around and saw it was Nancy saying "I told you to have some hope, little brother."

"Also, I have some other news," Hop called over everyone's cheers and cries, "with that money that Owens is getting us, I'm gonna buy a bigger house for the Hoppers and the Byers to live in and...everyone in this room is a welcome guest there any time."

This got the cheer cycle started all over again and Joyce looked up at him and said, "You know you're gonna regret that decision, right?"

He just smiled before sarcastically saying, "Oh, I know, it seemed like a good idea at the time" before pulling Joyce in for a small but tender kiss.

"Hey," a voice interrupted them, it was Jonathan stepping over to where they were, "I just wanna say...I'm really glad this is happening, outside of the obvious reasons, you two actually make a really cute couple."

Joyce looked over at her older son before saying in a kind tone, "Well, let's not get our hopes up just yet, Jon."

Hop continued, "Yeah, I mean, we're gonna be living together, but, we're gonna take it slow, see how it goes from there, nothing too serious yet."

Jonathan just smiled, knowing denial when he hears it, nodding and saying "sure, nothing too serious yet."

4 MONTHS LATER

"Do you, James David Hopper, take Joyce Veronica Byers, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Do you, Joyce Veronica Byers, take James David Hopper, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

Glancing out at the happy faces in the crowd, Hop saw some sly smiles coming from the kids, as happy as he knew they were, he also knew he was gonna hear "nothing too serious" quite a bit today.


End file.
